Computer Viruses

By: Angelica Jurczak Anna Rog David Brackett

What is a Computer Virus?

A computer virus is a computer program that
can copy itsel and in ect a computer !ithout the permission or kno!ledge o the o!ner" #ne o the irst detected virus !as the Creeper virus in the early $%&s Be ore computer net!orks 'ecame !idespread( most viruses spread on remova'le media( particularly loppy disk"

Basic Computer Viruses

)ro*an +orses
appears as interesting program ile 'ut !hen installed it allo!s intruders to access and read your iles

Worms
virus that copies and multiplies itsel 'y using computer net!orks and security la!s

,-mail Viruses
use e-mail messages to spread !hich allo! it to automatically or!ard itsel to thousands o people

Types of Viruses
Boot .ector Virus
/n ects the 'oot or 0BR o diskettes and hard drives through the sharing o in ected disks and pirated so t!are applications #nce your hard drive is in ected all diskettes that you use in your computer !ill 'e in ected

1rogram Virus
Becomes active !hen the program ile 2usually !ith e3tensions "B/4( "C#0( ",5,( "#V6( "DRV7 carrying the virus is opened /t then makes copies o itsel and !ill in ect other programs on the computer

0ultipartite Virus
+y'rid o a Boot .ector and 1rogram viruses /t in ects program iles and !hen the in ected program is active it !ill a ect the 'oot record

Types of Viruses
.tealth Virus
Disguises itsel to prevent rom 'eing detected 'y antivirus so t!are /t alters its ile size or conceals itsel in memory

1olymorphic Virus
Act like a chameleon( changing its virus signature 2'inary pattern7 every time it multiples and in ects a ne! ile

0acro Virus
1rogrammed as a macro em'edded in a document( usually ound in 0icroso t Word and ,3cel #nce it gets in to your computer( every document you produce !ill 'ecome in ected Relatively ne! type o virus and may slip 'y your antivirus so t!are i you don8t have the most recent version installed

Signs Your Computer is Infected

9unctions slo!er than
normal Responds slo!ly and reezes o ten Restarts itsel o ten .ee uncommon error messages( distorted menus( and dialog 'o3es 4otice applications ail to !ork correctly 9ail to print correctly

 9irst hal o the $%86ate :%(s( early $%(s- ;Ra''its; cloned

themselves occupied system resources( slo!ing do!n the productivity" -;)he Creeper; capa'le o entering a net!ork 'y itsel and trans erring a copy o itsel to the system" ,arly <%(s-/ncreasing num'er o programs !ritten 'y individuals not 'y so t!are companies" 1rograms caused miner viruses called ;)ro*an horses;" =><:8Brain virus8 - 'y Am*ad and Basit 9aroo? Alvi" spread through loppy disks( in ected 'oot records and not computer hard drives 6ahore( 1akistani Brain( Brain-A and @/@C virus -took over ree space on the loppy disk and hid rom detection Adisguised itsel 'y displaying the unin ected 'oot sector on the disk"A =><$-6ehigh virus - the irst memory resident ile in ector that attacked e3ecuta'le iles and took control !hen a ile !as opened

)he Jerusalem Virus

-had 'ugs that re-in ected programs that !ere already in ected

=><<: Ro'ert 0orris made a !orm that invaded AR1A4,) computers - disa'led :(%%% computers on the net!ork 'y over lo!ing their memory 'anks
!ith copies o itsel 1991: 4orton Anti-Virus so t!are 1999: ;0elissa; virus -in ected thousands o computers very ast 'y sending copies o itsel to B% names in the address 'ook on #utlook e-mail - 6ed to an estimated C<% million in damage and record sales o anti-virus products" 2000: ;/ 6ove Dou; virus -!as sent 'y email and in ected =% E o computers in only one day -created 'y a young 9ilipino computer student !ho did not get punished 'ecause then the 1hilippines had no la!s against hacking !hich led to the ,uropean @nion8s glo'al Cy'ercrime )reaty" 2001: ;4imda; virus 2days a ter >F==7 -had B !ays o in ecting systems

 2004

0yDoom spreads through emails and ile-sharing so t!are aster than any previous virus or !orm" Allo!s hackers to access the hard drive o the in ected computer" An estimated one million computers running Windo!s are a ected 'y the ast-spreading .asser computer !orm" )he !orm does not cause irrepara'le harm to computers or data(
'ut it does slo! computers and cause some to ?uit or re'oot !ithout e3planation"

2006 200

Discovery o the irst-ever mal!are tro*an horse or 0ac #. 5

)orpig is a )ro*an horse !hich a ects Windo!s( turning o antivirus applications" /t allo!s others to access the computer( modi ies data( steals
con idential in ormation and installs mal!are on the victim8s computer"

2009
Con icker in ects any!here rom > to =B million 0icroso t server systems"
9rench air orce( Royal 4avy !arships and su'marines( .he ield +ospital net!ork( @G 0inistry o De ence( Herman Bundes!ehr and 4or!egian 1olice !ere all a ected"

Tota! "um#er of Viruses #y year January =><B = January =><B = January =><$ I January =><> : January =>>% =JK January =>>= IB$ January =>>K =(=:= January =>>I K(J<K January =>>J I(:<$ January =>>B B(:K: January =>>: $($:J January =>>$ ==(%I$ January =>>< =:($K: January =>>> J%(<B% January K%%% JJ(%%% January K%%= J<(%%% January K%%K BB(%%% January K%%I :K(%%%

$e!issa
Another virus that ired up the media !as 0elissa( a Word macro
virus" When people received the host Word document via email and opened it( the virus sent a copy o itsel to the irst B% people in the victim8s address 'ook" 4amed a ter a topless dancer in 9lorida( the 0elissa virus crashed the email servers o corporations and governments in di erent spots around the !orld" )he Computer ,mergency Response )eam( set up a ter Ro'ert 0orris mucked up the /nternet !ith his !orm in =><<( estimated that the virus hit =%%(%%% computers in its irst !eekend" David 6" .mith posted the in ected ile to an alt"se3 usenet group using a stolen A#6 account" /nitially he entered a plea o innocence( 'ut a ter 'eing con ronted !ith a ma3imum sentence o J% years in prison( he eventually pled guilty and received a muchreduced sentence"

%o&e You' %o&e Bug

By a!most any measure' t(e so)ca!!ed %o&e Bug *as t(e most
damaging and cost!y &irus e&er+ I don,t -no* *(o comes up *it( t(ese *(ac- figures' #ut according to .euters t(e #ug cost t(e *or!d /10 #i!!ion in !ost producti&ity+

T(e %o&e Bug spread far faster t(an $e!issa+ 1n!i-e $e!issa'

it *ou!d mai! itse!f to e&eryone in your 2ut!oo- address #oo)) most of *(om *ou!d pro#a#!y #e de!ig(ted to read a#out (o* you !o&e t(em )) not 3ust t(e first fifty+ $oreo&er' it *ou!d go##!e up certain media fi!es stored on your (ard dri&e+

4id you -no*5

2ne 6erman ne*spaper
tragica!!y !ost 2'000 pictures from its arc(i&e+ T(e perpetrator turned out to #e a 27)year)o!d 8i!ipino computer science student *(o more or !ess p!agiari9ed a!! of (is code+ T(e !ac- of !a*s in t(e :(i!ippines co&ering computer crimes' (e pretty muc( got a*ay *it( (is crime+

:re&ention
@pload and use antivirus
so t!are Be a!are o the e-mails and attachments you open Check or updates on antivirus so t!are regularly 0ake sure antivirus so t!are is installed correctly

Sources
(ttp:;;***+tec()fa<+com;(istory)of)computer)&iruses+s(tm! (ttp:;;spam!a*s+com;(istory+(tm! (ttp:;;en+*i-ipedia+org;*i-i;Computer=&irus>?istory (ttp:;;***+infop!ease+com;ipa;@0 A2 42+(tm!

Re erences
http:FF!!!"spamla!s"comFprotect"html http:FF!!!"spamla!s"comFvirus-types"html http:FF!!!"spamla!s"comFvirus-comtypes"html http:FF!!!"spamla!s"comF ederalFinde3"shtml http:FF!!!"spamla!s"comFvirus-types"html Wikipedia !!!"suggesta i3"com !!!"microso t"com